Alex de Minaur eyes overseas opportunities after outstanding summer

OVERSEAS tournament directors will likely offer Alex de Minaur ATP wildcard opportunities after his high-profile summer, but first Lleyton Hewitt must decide if he’s physically ready for the Davis Cup reverse singles.

Alex de Minaur pushed Alexander Zverev to five sets in the opening Davis Cup tie. Picture: AAP

OVERSEAS tournament directors will likely offer Alex de Minaur ATP wildcard opportunities this year after his high-profile summer, Australian men’s tennis performance director Wally Masur says.

De Minaur, 18, may be given the chance to seek his first Davis Cup win in Sunday’s fifth and final rubber after his exhausting five-set loss on Friday to world No.5 Alexander Zverev which created an even rosier view of his future.

But Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt declined to confirm de Minaur would be physically ready to back up against Germany’s No.2, likely to be Jan-Lennard Struff.

Hewitt said he would “cross that bridge if we come to it’’ in the event of a two-all scoreline should Nick Kyrgios see off Alexander Zverev.

Alex de Minaur has been a high achiever this summer. Picture: AP

Masur said de Minaur and his Spanish coach Adolfo Gutierrez had decided to return to Challenger level for one or two tournaments but the energetic right-hander was clearly playing better than his world ranking of No.139 and would do well with more ATP tournament qualifying experience.

De Minaur will need to find regular week-to-week achievement to get his ranking towards the 70s, which would gain him direct entry to an ATP 500 tournament.

“He has decisions to make. Does he play qualifying in the (United) States or back himself to win a couple of matches in qualifying at ATP level,’’ Masur said.

“Other tournament directors will know he is a good story and he might get a wildcard outside Australia.”

De Minaur said his goal this year was to make the top 100, which seems conservative.

Originally published as Alex de Minaur eyes overseas opportunities after outstanding summer